The Fish Sauce on Your Deathbed | Sister Chan Duc (Plum Village France)

...suffer all the consequences

of global warming...'

...'Oh, you're old

you don't have to worry.'

But that is not a good thinking

or not a right thinking...

... we discriminate a little bit

about what smells good

and what doesn't smell good...

...I think when we are on our deathbed

we probably no longer attach

to good tasting food...

...you regret why,

why did I give up this taste?

...so that is the way of looking

of a Zen master...

We have the tendency to say

'Well, I won't be here, anyway.'

We have the tendency to think

the young people will have to

suffer all the consequences

of global warming

but I, because I am old

and I won't be there,

I won't be there to suffer

so I won't have to go through that

And sometimes maybe the young people

also think that

'Oh, you're old, you don't have to worry.'

But that is not a good thinking

or not a right thinking

on my part.

It may mean I am not so responsible

I hope it doesn't mean that

so from that point of view

it is not right thinking

but also from the point of view

of the reality of things

it is not right thinking

Because

once this body

has been consumed

by the fire, or buried in the earth

where does it go?

and the mind that goes with the body

where does it go?

It doesn't go anywhere.

So, we will still be there

in some form or another.

Yesterday, we were reading about

the Touching the Earth, Mother Earth.

'You take me back at death,'

'you give me life,'

'you take me back at death.'

So that is very beautiful,

when we die, we become one

with Mother Earth.

And so, all that Mother Earth

has to go through with

we continue with Mother Earth.

That is more close to right thinking.

<waking the bell>

<bell>

And this perfume of the rose

is not me, is not mine

we discriminate a little bit

about what smells good

and what doesn't smell good

but depending upon which species we are

different things smell good or not good

this taste is not I

is not me, is not mine

I think though,

when we are on our deathbed

we probably no longer attach

to good tasting food anymore

but there are some stories

about people who are attached

Sometimes when you become a vegetarian

you give up certain things,

like

anchovy sauce

<murmur of laughter>

That is fish sauce in Vietnamese

And you like that taste so much, but

you really determined to become vegetarian

and so you decide never again

and you bury it under the earth

or whatever.

But then, on your deathbed

you regret

you regret why

Why did I give up this taste?

This has truly happened.

And you ask those people

who are around you, and they are asking

'Do you need anything?'

'Would you like something?'

And you ask

'Please may I have some anchovy sauce?'

Fish sauce.

And this is something

that Thay had witnessed

And then everybody round said, 'No, no!'

because it's bad karma

If we give you that

then it may influence your progression

on the spiritual path after you pass away.

But, Thay said

that is not the right approach.

Thay said, 'You should give it.'

'You should give it because

then taste it

they will see it's... horrible!

<laughter>

and then they will be able to give up

their attachment to it.

Whereas, if you say 'No, no, no!'

You can't give up your attachment.'

So that is the way of looking

of a Zen master

to help his students.